North Korea denies role in $6-B Binance hack, lashes out at U.S.

North Korea on Tuesday, 3 November 2026, rejected US allegations that its hackers stole more than $6 billion in cryptocurrency from Binance, calling the accusation a “grave political provocation” amid renewed speculation over a possible meeting between the countries’ leaders.

Kim Yo Jong, the influential sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, dismissed the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) findings as “absurd rhetoric and nothing new,” according to the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

The FBI announced on 31 October that North Korea’s TraderTraitor hacking operation was responsible for the theft, believed to be the largest cryptocurrency heist on record.

The group was previously linked to the $1.5-billion theft from cryptocurrency exchange Bybit in February 2025.

“This is not the first time that the US has attempted to spread misunderstanding of the DPRK in the international community, blindly linking the DPRK with the ‘cyber crime’ incidents whenever they occur on an international scale,” Kim said.

She accused Washington of attempting to damage North Korea’s international reputation and warned that the allegations had reaffirmed its hostile stance toward Pyongyang.

The FBI said investigators had observed the hackers converting stolen cryptocurrency into Ether and warned that the assets could be laundered through decentralized finance platforms and cryptocurrency exchange services.

US authorities urged digital asset companies and blockchain operators to block transactions involving wallets linked to the stolen funds.

North Korea has long faced accusations of using state-backed hackers to steal cryptocurrency and generate funds for its weapons programs, allegations Pyongyang has repeatedly denied.

The latest confrontation comes as US President Donald Trump has floated the possibility of meeting Kim Jong Un around the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Shenzhen, China, later this month.

Pyongyang has not publicly accepted the overture.

“We have issues to reconsider in diverse aspects as regards the very unpleasant US hostile attitude,” Kim Yo Jong said.